The University of St. Thomas has launched a mobile website for smart phone users. Anyone visiting https://www.stthomas.edu/ from a mobile device will automatically be redirected to a stripped down site featuring a mobile-friendly interface.
According to Web and Media Services Director Liz Houle, the rising popularity of smart phones and tablets caused an increase in the number of people who were accessing the St. Thomas site via mobile devices. “Last fall, traffic to the site from mobile devices was a 157 percent increase over the previous year,” Houle said. “We wanted to make sure people could get to what they were looking for.”
On the mobile site, which is accessible at m.stthomas.edu, users will find links to Bulletin Today, Tommie Sports, featured events, the shuttle schedule, campus directories, the Bookstore, the libraries and TommieMedia. In addition, a link to the full UST website is available.
The information available on the mobile home page was determined based on feedback from students and staff collected by WMS. “Over the past several years, we talked to students and asked them what they’d like to have an easier time finding – especially from their phones – so we started there,” Houle said. “We also looked at high-traffic sites that were already mobile friendly, such as Tommie Sports and Bulletin Today.”
Going forward the mobile site will continue to evolve as new features are added. In the short term, there are plans for a full site search, program for graduate and undergraduate admissions, links to mobile blogs and a section on what’s new and coming. Further down the road, there are plans for campus maps, campus dining menus, possible enhancements to the shuttle schedule, personal calendar access, and more.
WMS has a committee of staff from different areas of the university overseeing the development of the mobile site. If you have feedback or questions, contact the committee by clicking on the feedback link in the lower right corner of the mobile home page, or send an email to webmaster@stthomas.edu.
